Data-Based/Data-Driven Decision Making: A process of collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information to answer a question and to guide development, implementation, and evaluation of an action. Data-based decision maki... More »
"Instead of concentrating on the "bar" that kids are supposed to be clearing, we're focusing on taking students from "where they are and moving them forward." [Read full story »]
Should interventions in Tier 2 and Tier 3 follow the alignment of the core curriculum?
Response from Karen Wixson, Ph.D.: The general answer to this question is "yes"—Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions should be aligned with the core curriculum. However...[read full response]
Welcome to the RTI Blog! Every week we will have a new editorial from an experienced implementer and/or researcher who will be posting commentary about common, emerging, or controversial issues regarding RTI. Readers are invited to post their reactions and thoughts.
Implementing a Combined RTI/PBS Model: Getting Started
Written by Evelyn S. Johnson, Ed.D., Deborah R. Carter, Ph.D., and Juli Pool, Ph.D., Boise State University, on March 03, 2010
Because RTI and PBS share many common attributes, it seems quite natural that they should be combined into a comprehensive model of tiered service delivery that addresses both academics and behavior. After all, many students who have difficulty in one area have difficulty in the other, and so a model in which instruction, intervention and assessment target both would seem to have a high chance of success in improving student outcomes. So, how does a school get started with such a system? In this blog series we are describing how one school, working collaboratively with university faculty under a state-funded project undertook this daunting project.
Written by Evelyn S. Johnson, Ed.D., Deborah R. Carter, Ph.D., and Juli Pool, Ph.D., Boise State University, ID, on February 09, 2010
At the beginning of the 2009–10 school year, we began a two-year Response to Intervention/Positive Behavior Supports (RTI/PBS) implementation project with Silver Sage Elementary School in Idaho. Silver Sage is a small school of just over 200 students in grades K–5 with a demographic make up that closely mirrors the Idaho state average: 82% of the students are White, 10% Hispanic, 4% Black, 3% Asian and 2% American Indian. About a third of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
The school had an existing tiered service delivery model for reading when we started the project in September, and was interested in implementing school-wide PBS and extending their RTI system to include mathematics. We had worked with the principal in previous professional development trainings on issues like progress monitoring and goal setting, and she was ready to move her staff forward towards a comprehensive tiered service delivery model. The question we now all faced was how do we get started with a combined RTI/PBS model?
Written by Bob Heimbaugh, Principal, Tongue River Elementary, WY, on January 29, 2010
When thinking about the role of leadership in the RTI process, I always think about the term "instructional leader." If you were to ask 10 people to provide a definition of the term, you would get 10 different definitions or interpretations. As a matter of fact, if you were to do a search on-line, the one thing that would become apparent is that the only agreement that can be made about the term is that it is hard to define. The four most common terms used to describe an instructional leader found in the literature are: 1) principal as resource provider, 2) principal as instructional resource, 3) principal as communicator, and 4) principal who is visible and engaged. We all know that if we are to implement RTI well, the building principal’s involvement in the process is one of the most important aspects of successful implementation. For RTI to happen in a school, the principal must be the head "instructional leader" who is behind the model one hundred percent.
Written by Jared Moretti, Principal, Laura Irwin Elem./Spec. Ed. Dir., Big Horn County School District #4, WY, on January 12, 2010
As I mentioned before in previous blogs, there is a very strong correlation between behavior and academic success in the classroom. Great gains can be in made in academic achievement by creating a positive environment where students feel welcome and safe. Also, by cutting down on behavior issues in the classroom, teachers will be more effective when not being interrupted or distracted by student misbehavior. Please understand, we are absolutely not advocating students sit in neat little rows of desks like robots. Students must be taught to make responsible choices that are conducive to creating a positive and smooth-running classroom.
Written by Bob Heimbaugh, Principal, Tongue River Elementary, WY, on December 10, 2009
The sustained change we seek through the implementation of an RTI model in our schools is no easy task. We ask professionals who have worked in classrooms for many years to evaluate and change their practice...practices they have developed and honed over time. As we ask teachers to move away from their established practices, we need to be cautious. RTI asks teachers to implement scientifically-based research in the classroom. How we as schools approach professional development and implementation of instruction and how we gather implementation feedback are keys to effective scientifically-based research applications in our schools.
Written by Jared Moretti, Principal, Laura Irwin Elem./Spec. Ed. Dir., Big Horn County School District #4, WY, on November 30, 2009
In our experience with RTI, we have really made a transition to look at data and, more importantly, look at what the data are telling us. As long as you have good data, the data will tell you who needs an intervention, what intervention they need, and whether the intervention is working. I have seen schools that have a lot of data but do not have the desire, the means, or the time to look at and interpret the data. Why waste the time collecting it if you are not going to use it and use it well to help students? With that being said, here is how we use some of our data in our RTI model.
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Welcome to the RTI Blog! Every week we will have a new editorial from an experienced implementer and/or researcher who will be posting commentary about common, emerging, or controversial issues regarding RTI. Readers are invited to post their reactions and thoughts. 
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